Obtaining a Cultivation Art

The Scripture Depository was far away.

Lu Li walked for most of the day before arriving at the Scripture Depository after nightfall.

"Stop. Token!"

The moment he stepped into the front courtyard of the Scripture Depository, a stern voice rang directly in Lu Li's mind.

At the same time, a powerful pressure like a mountain descended over his head.

This spiritual pressure was even stronger than Ghost Demon True Person's!

Lu Li did not dare delay and quickly took out the sect jade pendant Ghost Demon True Person had given him.

Buzz.

The sect jade pendant trembled and hummed, emitting a flash of light.

Then, the stern voice sounded again. "Outer disciples may only enter the first floor of the Scripture Depository. Anyone who trespasses onto the second floor will be killed without mercy."

"This disciple obeys."

Lu Li put away the jade pendant and cupped his hands in a bow.

Only then did he enter the Scripture Depository.

There were many people inside the Scripture Depository.

But it was quiet.

Lu Li walked carefully, slightly hunched and keeping his head lowered, not daring to look at anyone.

These were all ruthless demonic cultivators who killed without blinking an eye.

Among the Demon Sect, the Yin Underworld Ghost Sect could not rank among the top five in terms of strength. But when it came to ruthlessness, its disciples were absolutely among the top three.

At the slightest disagreement, they would strike and kill.

Therefore, Lu Li, with his meager cultivation, did not dare provoke anyone.

Fortunately, the Ghost Sect disciples passing by seemed not to care about an ant like him.

Soon, Lu Li arrived before the Scripture Depository.

Though it was called a Scripture Depository, it was actually a gigantic black-stone tower thirty-three stories tall, piercing the heavens and reaching into the clouds, linking stars to moonlight in magnificent grandeur.

Black and white lights also flickered around the Scripture Depository.

These were formations.

Should anything unusual occur, once the formations activated, even Nascent Soul Cultivators would die instantly.

Not to mention that Spirit Transformation-level old monsters were hidden within the Scripture Depository.

Lu Li held his breath, lifted his foot, and stepped through the gates of the Scripture Depository.

The moment he entered, he saw a white-haired old man sitting beside the door with his eyes closed in rest.

A necklace of human skulls hung around his neck.

Lu Li did not dare look too long. He hurried over and began searching the bookshelves on the first floor for demonic arts.

The first floor was enormous, stretching over three li in both length and width.

There were many people here as well.

Most were disciples in the Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment Realms.

Lu Li, a mere first-level Qi Refinement cultivator, was not particularly conspicuous among the crowd.

He examined the jade slips one by one with great care.

"White Bone Lotus Heart Art requires harvesting the bones of living people... Not suitable."

"Blood Snake Demon Eye requires collecting one hundred pairs of human eyes... Not suitable."

"Heart Demon Sword requires gathering yin baleful qi, refining it into the heart and lungs, then breathing it in and out to nourish the sword. Hmm, this is not bad... Fifty years to reach minor attainment? Forget it."

As Lu Li continued looking, his brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

As expected of the Demon Sect.

Among the tens of thousands of cultivation arts collected on this floor, they were all demonic arts. If they did not require harvesting human eyes, then they required collecting bones, blood, or qi—sinister and vicious to the extreme.

Even body-tempering demonic arts similar to the Golden Bell Shield and Iron Cloth Shirt required infusions of human blood and ghost qi.

After searching for half the day, he had not found a single suitable one!

He had finally found a few that he could cultivate, but they required fifty years at the least and over a hundred years at the most.

Even with his cheat, he probably would not make it in time.

He only had one month left!

Lu Li's expression darkened somewhat.

But he still did not give up and continued searching.

Who knew how much time passed before he arrived at the final bookshelf? He reached out, picked up a jade slip, and began examining the small engraved characters on it.

"Four Eclipses Demonic Art, eclipses the heart... Not suitable."

Lu Li took one glance and set it down.

Then he picked up the next jade slip.

Pick up, put down.

Pick up, put down.

Pick up, put down.

By the time he set down the last jade slip, his face had turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

On the entire first floor, among more than ten thousand demonic arts, there truly was not a single one suitable for him!

Was he really left with nothing but waiting for death?

"Boy, you are quite picky. You actually look down on all the demonic arts on this floor?"

Suddenly, a deep voice, resonant as a bell, sounded beside him.

Lu Li turned to look.

It was the white-haired elder wearing the necklace of human skulls. He stood over two meters tall, his gaze fierce, like a giant man-eating bear.

At a glance, he was clearly an expert.

And how could someone who guarded the Scripture Depository possibly be ordinary?

Lu Li pursed his lips and replied with cupped hands, "This disciple would not dare. This disciple merely wishes to choose a cultivation art suited to himself."

"Hmph? This old man sees that your aptitude is excellent. Eight or nine out of ten of the cultivation arts here should suit you! Why will you not choose one?"

The white-haired elder asked from above.

"Uh... These cultivation arts are indeed good, but this disciple wants a demonic art that is not so bloody, one that does not require harvesting human blood and bones or absorbing ghost qi to cultivate."

Lu Li explained.

"What a joke! My Yin Underworld Ghost Sect is a demonic sect. If we do not kill people or raise ghosts, what kind of demonic sect would we be? You brat, you do not wish to cultivate such demonic arts? Speak! Are you an undercover agent sent by the righteous path?"

The white-haired elder roared.

His voice was like thunder crashing beside Lu Li's ears.

It nearly ruptured Lu Li's eardrums.

Strangely, though the white-haired elder had shouted so loudly, the Ghost Sect disciples around them seemed as if they had heard nothing.

It was a barrier!

Someone capable of casually setting up a barrier was at least at the Golden Core Realm.

At this moment, Lu Li came back to his senses and bowed with a bitter smile. "Elder, have you ever seen such a pathetic righteous-path spy? If this disciple truly were a spy, I fear my master would have me killed before the end of the month."

"That does make some sense."

After hearing this, the white-haired elder nodded and turned to leave.

Just then, Lu Li gritted his teeth, stepped forward, blocked his path, and asked with cupped hands, "Elder, do you have any cultivation arts suitable for this disciple? Could you grant this disciple one?"

"Hmm?"

The white-haired elder's eyes narrowed.

A pressure as immense as mountains immediately crashed down upon him.

Lu Li felt as though a mountain rested on his shoulders, about to crush him into a meat patty.

Yet he gritted his teeth and did not retreat a single step.

Suddenly, the pressure lifted. The white-haired elder said approvingly, "Good! Seeing that you have some backbone, this old man will give you one. However, the Dharma is not lightly transmitted. This old man must test you first!"

Lu Li's expression brightened as he cupped his hands. "Please test this disciple, Elder."

"Good! This old man has a question for you." The white-haired elder stroked the human skulls on his chest, pondered for a moment, then asked with a frown, "Can a toad eat swan meat?"

Hmm?

There was profound meaning in this question.

Lu Li understood it at once.

"Answer quickly!"

The white-haired elder urged him rather unhappily.

"Yes!"

Lu Li's eyes shifted as he answered with cupped hands.

"Hm? A toad can truly eat swan meat?"

The white-haired elder's eyes began to shine.

"It truly can. But the swan meat a toad eats is always from swans others have shot dead." Lu Li answered honestly.

Upon hearing this answer, the white-haired elder's face instantly turned black as charcoal.

A faint green glow seemed to flash over his head.

"Has this disciple passed the test?"

Seeing the elder's unsightly expression, Lu Li cautiously asked.

"Hmph! You pass!"

The white-haired elder's face sank. With a grab through the air, he seized two jade slips and tossed them over.

"Thank you, Elder."

Lu Li's expression brightened. He quickly caught them and offered his thanks.

"These are cultivation arts this old man obtained after killing two Nascent Souls in the past. They are both yours! Get lost! You have ruined this old man's good mood for the day!"

After saying this, the white-haired elder waved his hand with a dark face.

Whoosh.

A violent gust swept over him.

The world spun around him.

Bang.

Lu Li fell from the sky and hit the ground.

When he got up and looked around, he realized that he had already returned to Ghost Demon True Person's mountain.

His own cave dwelling lay at the foot of the mountain.

Had he said something wrong just now?

Lu Li was somewhat puzzled.

But he did not care anymore. Filled with excitement, he ran all the way down the mountain, rushed into his cave dwelling, and took out the jade slips.

One look, and he learned the names of the cultivation arts:

Purple Haze Sun-Refining Scripture.

Vajra Art.